Thursday, March 22, 2012

Traitor in the Tunnel

Mary's now a full-fledged member of the agency. She thinks her first assignment is a bit well... boring. She's posing as a housemaid in Buckingham Palace because someone is stealing random trinkets from the Blue Room.

BUT! It quickly heats up-- a known rogue was murdered in a Limehouse opium den, right in front of the crown prince. They immediately arrested a Chinese opium addict. Mary convinces the agency to let her stay on at the palace to see if the man was actually guilty or arrested solely because he was Chinese. She doesn't tell them her real interest in the case-- he has the same name as her long-missing, presumed-dead father.

AND! To make matters even more confusing, James is back on the scene, working on the sewers under the palace.

I love Mary and her secrets and double life. I loooooooooooooooooooove the chemistry between her and James.

I initially thought this would be a series, and it wraps up deliciously, with all the loose ends tied but with the promise of new adventure on the horizon. BUT! We're so lucky-- there will be more.

I continue to adore the way Lee writes historical fiction. She paints her Victorian world so well and with so much detail (her description of the sewers is fantastic) but it never overwhelms or detracts from the actual story. I also really liked her portrait of Queen Victoria-- fun and stern mother with her family, but proper and commanding Queen when needed. Lee gives her depth and complexity, even though she's a minor character that doesn't get much page-time.

This is a series that just gets better and better. The mystery isn't as exciting in this one, but Mary's personal journey is.

Book Provided by... my local library

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